Hinged retort-door.



N. TROYER & F. C. FOX.

HINGED REIORTDOOR.

APPLICATION FiLED AUG. 7. 191a.

LMKSW Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FTHE.

NELSON TROYER AND FRANK CHESTER FOX, OF ASTORIA, OREGON, ASSIGNORS TOASTORIA IRON WORKS, OF ASTORIA, OREGON.

HINGED RETORT-DOOR.

Application filed August 7, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, NELSON TROYER and FRANK Fox, citizens of the UnitedStates. and residents of Astoria, in the county of (latsop and State ofOregon. have invented a new and Improved Hinged Retort-Door, of whichthe following is a full. clear. and exact description.

()ur invention' has reference more particularly to a hinged door for useon a retort or receptacle used for cooking fish, fruits. vegetables andother food materials by steam. hot water or other artificial means,after the material has been placed in cans, glass jars, or otherreceptacles.

The general object of-our invention is to provide a retort door capableof being operated "ery quickly and with facility. and

which will effect a steam tight closure of the retort.

It is a design of our invention also to provide a door. the body ofwhich will have a degree of flexibility on its hinged supportingmembers, whereby the door will be properly seated when closed.

The distinguishing features of the invention and the importantstructural, elements characterizing the practical embodiment which isillustrated as an example. will be more particularly explained in thespecific description following.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which si'milar characters of ref erence indicatecorresponding parts in all the views. j

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one example of our invention embodiedin a retort door, showing the same applied: Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection: Fig. 3is a side elevation; Fig. 4 is a vertical section: Fig. 51s a detail vertical section showing the manner of effecting anengagement between the door body and a hinged member forming part of thedoor; and Fig. (3 is a diagrammatic view showing in side elevationcertain elements forforcing the door to a tightly closed position.

It is to be understood that our invention is applicable to retorts,round, square, or of other form in cross section, and is applicable toretorts disposed vertically or horizontally. In the illustration theretort is presumed to be horizontal.

In the drawings a portion of a retort is Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented J an. 41, 1916.

Serial No. 783,494.

ets' 16 or their equivalent, the separate forming of the frame andcovering of the door body being preferred in practice in the case oflarge doors for which it is not so practical to make the door body allintegral.

The door body is secured to a transverse bar or bars 18, as by rivets19, the bars be mg preferably T-shaped in cross section,

and said bars are hinged to the head 11 by a hinge pin 20, which passesthrough eyes 18 on the bars 18, and through lugs 21 on said head. Inaddition to the hinged bars 18, transverse bars 22 are comprised in ourimproved door, at the top and bottom respectively of the door, and arehinged to the retort head by thehinge pin 20 which passes through eyes22 on the said bars It is to be noted that the hinged bars 22 are notfastened to the door body, but have the character of floating bar's.There is a guided engagement only between the body and the floatinghinge bars, so that there can be a bodily relative adjustment thereof.Asone expedient for effecting the guided engagement between the floatinghinged bars and body we have shown straps 23 secured by bolts 23 ortheir equivalent to the door body. and each formed at the free endthereof with a U-bend 23 presenting an open side so that the bent endsof the straps fit loosely over the shanks 22 of the floating bars whichare T-shaped in cross section.

To provide for a bodily transverse adjustment between the door body andthe floating hinged bars, we may employ adjusting screws 21 which takeinto bosses 22 on said bars, the forward ends of the screws bear ingagainst the outer faces of the door and preferably against the frame 16thereof. In the adjustment of the screws 24 the engaged portion of thefloat bars has sliding movement in the bent ends 23 of the straps 23.Lock nuts 21 are employed on the screws if desired.

-In addition to the bodily relative adjustment between the floatinghinged bars and the door body, we provide for a degree of adjustment andrelative flexibility between the door body and the hinged bars 18 whichare fastened to said body; thus it will be observed in Figs. 1 and 2,that the fastening elements 19 that secure the door body to the hingedbars 18 are inward from the ends of said bars, thereby leaving the doorbody free from the bars 18 along the hinge edge, and the free edge ofthe door, and to spring the free portions of the door body relatively tothe hinged bars 18,. adjusting means 1s provided, preferably in the formof adjusting screws 25, which take into bosses 18 on said bars, theforward ends of the screws bearing against the outer face of the doorframe 16 directly over the head 15 and packing 11.

As will be clear from the foregoing, the door will have a high degree offlexibility in that it has no rigid relation to the tloating hinged bars22, and that the vertical edge portions of the door are tlexible withrespect to the supporting hinged bars 18, the

result being that the door body will have freedom to accommodate itselfto the seat provided on the door head, thereby making it feasible toefi'ect a close bearing of the door when closed against the retort head.Moreover, the adjusting screws serve to correct any inaccuracies in theassembling of the diii'erent parts and provide also for taking up wear.

In order to center the door to the retort opening and alme the packingstrip 13 and bead 15, a roller 26 is mounted in the lower end of thedoor between dependent lugs 27 on the door frame 16, which form bearingsfor the pin :28 constituting the axle of the roller. The said rollercontacts with a fixed incline 29 on the head 11. Thus, should the doorsag-by reason of wear on the hinges, or otherwise, it will neverthelessbe prpperly centered.

A latch 30 is pivoted at one end, as at 31, to the door body, to swingin a keeper 32 and is adapted to engage over a catch 33 on the head 11,being provided with a loop 34 to constitute a handle. \Vhen the door isSWI Ag toward the retort, the latch will be engaged with the catch 33 soas to hold the door partially closed, the door still inclining slightlyto the face of the head 11. In this position the hinged end of the doorwill, however be sutliciently close to the head 11 for the bead 15 tolie close against the adjacent portion of the packing strip 13.

We provide a novel means for forcing the door tightly to a bearingagainst the head '11, with the head 15 pressing on the packing strip 14throughout the whole length of the latter to effect a steam-tightclosure of the retort. To effect the desired tight closure of the doorwe provide a series of cams to engage the several hinged bars andactuating means therefor. Thus on each bar 18 and :22 at the endopposite the hinge, a friction roller 35 is secured, and on the head 11a corresponding series of cams (designated generally by the numeral 36,)is mounted, ach cam having a pivot pin 37 journaled in a bearing lug 3;on the head 11, so that the cam may rock in a vertical plane. 011 theouter end of each element 36 an arm 38 is formed, which is adapted forhooked engagement with the adjacent roller when the door is held in thepartially closed position by the latch 30. At the inner side of the arm36 and continuing across a line intersecting the pivot 37 is an internalcam surface 35), which contacts with the roller 35 when the cam isrocked in an upward direction, and the cam surface is such that thedistance between said surface and the center of the pivot 37 isgraduallyless from the outer endof the arm 3b, the result being that aforced contact of the cams against the rollers will carry the rollersand the hinged bars in the direction of the face of the retort, thusforcing the door body to a firm bearing against the head of the retort,and effecting a steam tight contact between the rib l5 and the packing11.

In order to operate the cams simultane ously, each is pivotallyconnected as at 10, by bolts rl-l or the like to a connecting rod 42,and the latter in turn is connected by a link 43 to a lever 11, which isfulcrumed as at 14 on the head 11, the arrangement being such that therocking of the lever 41 in an upwa'rd direction will cause the arm 38 ofeach cam to have hooked engagement with the adjacent roller 35, andtightly close the door as described. The lever it may have its handle orouter portion 45 formed with a socket to be readily detachable wherespace is not available to leave it projecting. Also to hold the lever inthe raised position to prevent its being accidentally thrown downward, ahook 16 may be pivoted, as at =17, to

the head 11, in a position for its hooked end to engage in a hole 18 inthe lever.

Since the action of the cams on the rollers 35 may tend to exert anupward thrust on the bars 22, we provide means to resist such thrust,the means consisting of fixed lugs or equivalent elements to be engagedby the bars or parts appurtenant thereto. As an example of means for thepurpose we have shown lugs 49, 50, on the door, projecting forwardlytherefrom sufficiently to overlie the floating hinged bars 22, andthereby receive and resist the upward thrust of the cams.

The floating bars, it will be seen, constitute hinged clamping barsindependent of the door-supporting means to press the door to a tightlyclosed position under the influ- Having thus described our invention,we-

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A door, comprising a hinge bar, a door body carried by the said barand connected therewith between the ends of the bar, the side portionsof the body being free from connection with the bar, and means forspringing said side portions relatively to the bar.

2. A door comprising a hinge bar, a door body carried by the said barand connected therewith between the ends of the bar, the side portionsof the body being free from connection with the bar, and adjustingscrews carried by the bar near the ends, to bear against the free sideportions of the body for adjusting said portions relatively to the bar.

3. A door comprising a door body, a member carrying said body, means foradjusting edge portions of the body and fixedly secured to the bodyinward from the edge of the latter relatively to the said member, hingemeans associated with said member for hinging the door, and latchingmeans movably mounted adjacent to the door to be moved into engagement}with said member to force the door to a closed position.

4. In a door, a door body, a hinge bar, a rigid connection between thebar and door body at points distant from the side edges of the door, theside edge portions of the door being free from the bar, meansv foradjusting the said free edge portions of the bar relatively to thecentral portion and relatively to said hinge bar, hinged floating barsabove and below the hinge bars, and means for bodily adjustingthe'floating bars transversely relatively to the door body.

5. A door comprising a body, a hinge-bar, means connecting said bar anddoor body and sustaining the body against bodily transverse movementrelatively to the bar, ahinged floating bar ranging across the body andadapted to be pressed against the same, adjusting means associated withsaid floating bar and body to adjust the floating bar transverselyrelatively to the body, and latching means mounted on a relatively fixedsupport and movable into engagementwith said bars to force the door to atightly closed position.

6. A door comprising a body, a hinge bar, means connecting said bar anddoor body and sustaining the body, against bodily transverse movementrelatively to the bar, a hinged floating bar ranging across the door andadapted to be pressed against the same, adjusting means associated withsaid floating bar and body to adjust the said floating bar transverselyrelatively to the body, and means mounted on a relatively fixed supportand movable into engagement with said bars to force the door to atightly closed position.

7 A. door comprising a door body, a hinge bar serving to hingedlysupport the body, and rigidly secured to the latter at a distance fromeach side edge thereof, means for adjusting the side portions of thedoor rela tively to the rigidly-held central portion and relatively tothe end portions of said hinge bar, a floating hinge bar ranging acrossthe door, and means to transversely adjust the door body and the firstmentioned hinge bar thereof relatively to the floating bar.

8. A door comprising a door body, a hinge bar serving to hingedlysupport the body and fixedly secured to the latter at a distance fromeach side edge thereof, means for adjusting theside portions of the doorrelatively to the rigidly-held central portion and relatively to the endportions of said hinge bar, a floating hinge bar ranging across thedoor, means to transversely adjust the door body and the first mentionedhinge bar thereof relatively to the floating bar, and means adapted toengage said bars to force the door to a closed position.

9. In a door, a body, a transverse hinge bar associated with the body, avertically disposed hooked cam rockable in the vertical plane across thepath of movement of the said bars into engagement with the latter toforce the door to a tightly closed position, and means for rocking saidcam.

10. In a door of the character described, a. door body, hinged floatingbars movable transversely relative to the face of the door, near the topand bottom of thelatter, means on the door afl'ording guided engagementwith the floating bars, an intermediate hinged door-supporting barrigidly connected with the door body inward from the side edge portionsof the body, said side edge portions being free from the said hingedsupporting bar, and means associated with the supporting bar to adjustthe said free edge portions of the door body relatively to saidsupporting bar.

11. In a door, a door body, a hinged floating bar ranging across thedoor body, a cam rockably mounted on a fixed. support adja cent to thedoor, to rock upwardly, said cam being adapted to engage said bar toforce the door to a closed position, and a fixed resistance elementoverlying the bar when the door is in a closed position and opposing theupward thrust of the cam on the said bar.

12. The combination with a receptacle having adoor opening and a head atsaid opening, of a hinged door body, members associated with said doorbody, a series of cam devices mounted to rock in a vertical plane andengage the said members to force the door to a tightlyclosed positionagainst thereceptacle head, a connecting bar connecting the several camdevices to rock them on their pivots, an operating lever, and aconnection between said lever and the connecting bar.

13. The combination with a receptacle having an opening, of a hingeddoor closing said opening, movable means mounted on the receptacle, amember on the door'engrageable by said means to force the door to atightly closed position, a latch on the door, and a catch on thereceptacle adapted to engage said latch when the door is in a positionfor engagement of the mentioned member thereon and the said movablemeans.

14. In a door, a door body, hinge bars, means establishing a rigidconnection between the central portion ofthe door body and the said barsto support the body, and independent clamp bars ranging across the doorabove and below the hinge bars, and means for pressing said bars againstthe door, to effect a tight closure thereof.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NELSON TROYER. FRANK CHESTER FOX.

Witnesses:

.FRANK L. BISHOP, WILLIAM PIERCE.

